I climbed down the bank to see what kind of bridge this was. I was richly rewarded — it’s a true beauty.

Bridge over Cagle Mill Lake

That was in 2008 when I toured Indiana’s State Road 42, which stretches from near Indianapolis at Mooresville to Terre Haute. Along the way the road reaches Cagles Mill Lake, an Army Corps of Engineers flood-control project. This bridge was built in 1951 to span the lake, and SR 42 was realigned to cross the bridge. Upon my visit, it had been freshly renovated. It looked like new!

In the years since I stopped clambering down banks to see the undersides of bridges. Perhaps after seeing enough bridges I stopped being surprised and delighted by them. I’m sure that as I’ve gotten older I have become more risk averse — climbing down a steep bank can be hazardous! But after I visited the new SR 46 bridge near Bowling Green, I knew I wanted to see the Cagles Mill Lake bridge again, up close and personal. It wasn’t too far away.

It was like old times when I clambered down the bank to photograph this bridge. I had my Nikon F2AS along with a 35-105mm zoom lens attached. This unwieldy kit did not make it any easier to get into position.

Bridge over Cagles Mill Lake

I made one shot at 35mm and another at or near maximum zoom. Neither of these photos turned out as well as I hoped. When I visited last time, the bank was clear except for large rocks placed to retard erosion. This time, the rocks were still there, but so was a considerable amount of brush that made it hard to get a good angle on the bridge. A lot of brush can grow in 12 years! I’m also not pleased with the exposure in either of these photos. But at least I got them.

Bridge over Cagles Mill Lake

The best photo of the visit is this one of the deck. I love how the road disappears into the trees.

Bridge over Cagles Mill Lake

To get Down the Road in your inbox or reader six days a week, click here to subscribe!
To get my newsletter with previews of what I’m working on, click here to subscribe!


Comments

11 responses to “Revisiting the bridge over Cagles Mill Lake”

  1. brandib1977 Avatar

    I sometimes climb down to see the underneath of bridges but am always conscious that what goes down must come back up! Lol. Also, you know- snakes in the brush and a broken hip are worrisome too.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      It’s the broken hip (or ankle) that I”m most worried about! Especially on an embankment like this one — out in the middle of nowhere.

      1. brandib1977 Avatar

        I hear that! And I’m always alone so there would be no one to drag me up the hill.

        1. Jim Grey Avatar

          Yep, They’d find our bodies a week later. In this case at least my car was parked up there just past the bridge, which might have led to a search.

          1. brandib1977 Avatar

            One can hope!!

  2. Roger Meade Avatar
    Roger Meade

    A beautiful classic Roman style. You would never suspect it from driving across it on the deck.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      That’s the thing about bridges like these — you never know what lurks beneath.

  3. Nancy Stewart Avatar
    Nancy Stewart

    You know I usually prefer the older bridges, but this is a very nice looking one, for sure !!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      It would be lovely to go boating on the lake and sail right under it!

  4. tbm3fan Avatar
    tbm3fan

    There is a bridge along US 8 out of San Diego to the east. We would use it to go to Mt. Laguna and there was a canyon that the road passed over. A newer bridge was put up and once on the way back we stopped to take a look at it from slightly below. Not climbing down the canyon. These bridges tend to be hollow and the access door under the bridge was not locked. Naturally we opened the door, climbed and and walked across the bridge from inside.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Oh that’s super cool. I’m a little envious!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: